Dreaming of Yesterday
by DillutionalInu
Summary: An exploration of Veteta's teenage life that is unaccounted for and his relationship with his family in the present. Plz read, enjoy and review! thx!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Open Wounds

"_Vegeta!" her voice screamed through his mind, pleading, begging for his help….But he couldn't move. He could do nothing to save her. Her long, white hair spread on the ground, stained with her own blood as Freiza's foot came down on her head, silencing her cries._

_"Let her go!" He yelled at his tormentor, his eyes blazing with held back tears. "Kill me! I was the one who faulted you! Just let her go!" He struggled against his invisible chains….He could not break free._

_Freiza lifted his hand and a large ball of Ki formed in his palm. "I've never known you to beg Vegeta." He taunted to the helpless prince. "This girl has made you soft." He gave one last sneer to the incapacitated woman on the floor before releasing the ball of Ki directly into her heart._

_"Tanya!" his voice seemed to ricochet off the walls of the ship, and the tears in the back of his eyes broke free, flowing down his cheeks. For the first time he tossed away his pride and cried for the woman laying before him, her eyes, though lifeless, still open and pleading._

_**"Vegeta!" the corpse still screamed to him, her eyes wide and accusing, seeming to curse him for not saving her. "Vegeta! Wake up!" No, it was not her…..He knew this voice…."Vegeta!" **_Bulma?

* * *

His eyes flew open and he sat straight up in bed, his heart pounding in his chest and sweat pouring over his body. It was only a dream….Or at least _now_ it was only a dream. It seemed that the worst nightmares though, where simply reminiscent pieces of his reality. Bulma's soft arms wound themselves around his neck.

"Was it that dream again? On Freiza's ship?" He nodded. If only she knew of the entirety of the dream, she may not be so understanding. "Well you know Vegeta." Her tone changed quickly to that of a chiding mother. "You've been having that dream ever since we've been married, maybe even before. I think you need to see someone about it!"

He scowled at her and grumbled. He did not need to do any such thing. What was he going to tell the doctor? I was held captive by an alien? No….Humans would never know anything of what went on in that ship. They would never be able to understand the cruelties of the man who ran it; the soulless tyrant who had enslaved him for a great deal of his young life. He rose quietly from the bed he shared with his wife and opened the door to their bedroom.

"Vegeta, where are you going?" she asked quietly, concern evident in her soft words.

He sighed. She deserved to know the truth, but how could he tell her? He had been pondering that question for years. At first he felt that she was only a human nuisance, and she had no business dabbling in his past. But, as the years of their marriage wore on, and he began to care more and more for this woman who had become his partner, he almost felt guilty in keeping this particular part of his past a secret from her. However, he had still not told her. It helped that Bulma, even though he was sure she was tempted due to her nosey nature, had never asked him about his past. Maybe she felt that it was irrelevant to their life together, or maybe she was afraid of what she would hear. Either way, she had never asked and he had never offered to tell her.

"Just out for some air." He replied, his voice heavy with exhaustion. He didn't turn to look at her. He was sure of what he would see; her deep blue eyes that seemed to span into forever sparkling with worry for him. Why she worried or even cared for him at all was a mystery to him. He had brought her nothing but grief in their life together, never even told her that he loved her, blaming their marriage on the fact that they had a son together. But it was as if she knew that no matter what he didn't say to her, he cared deeply for her and their son.

He padded on bare feet out to the balcony of capsule corp, the chilly night air meeting his body pleasantly. Though he would never admit it, he was glad for his new start on earth. But, though he had a new family here….He would never be able to forget the people he had lost along the way.

* * *

"_Hey look Vegeta! Fresh meat!" Nappa's booming voice roared across the ship, carrying the promise of a new fight and more bloodshed. Vegeta's insides swirled and he smirked. He had become addicted to the wonderful crimson pools that formed after he had lain a body to waste. "Lord Freiza took a personal interest in this one. It must be a pretty awesome planet. I think Zentu's the name." The big man bumbled up behind Vegeta on heavy feet. "Wonder what we'll find here?"_

_Vegeta shrugged. He didn't pretend to care about Freiza's planetary endeavors. He simply lusted for the taste, smell and feel of fresh blood. He glanced out the window to the Sapphire blue orb below them. Even he had to admit that it wasn't a bad looking planet. The clouds surrounding it gave off a mysterious glow. Freiza had said there were no moons on this planet, but he had also said that they shouldn't need one to conquer it. This was simply a planet of intellects and supposed 'civilized' people. He let a cynical laugh creep up his throat. Their 'civility' would not save them._

_As they landed, the hatch opened and Vegeta, Nappa, and other nameless, faceless members of Freiza's crew flooded out the open doors of the ship, all eager to kill. Vegeta formed a ball of Ki in his palm and smiled. __**Piece of cake.**_

_The hours flew past as more and more blood gathered on his once pristine white gloves. He was in a place of pure adrenaline, a place he could only be while ending the lives of people who he would never remember, faces that he would never see in his mind's eye again. It was only in this place that he could forget about everything. Here he could forget about his humiliation, anger, and secret loneliness. In this place of pure abandon he didn't have to think of anything else but the blood pooling at his feet, seeping into the ground, staining it scarlet. It wasn't long before the bodies piled up, and no one was left alive. He smiled to himself. Another planet wasted, another day's work done._

"_Hey Vegeta! Check out what I found!" Nappa bumbled up to him, his steps heavy and clumsy as usual. Vegeta turned to face his colleague, only to see him holding up a young girl by her snow white hair. She didn't grimace from the pain Vegeta was sure she was feeling as Nappa drug her forward to give Vegeta a better look at his prize. Her eyes where calm and defiant, as if she knew what was going to happen, but her pride would not let her break._

_Vegeta sighed, the air leaving his lungs in a disgusted rush. He hated it, but this was the ugly side of pillaging. He had never been a fan of taking advantage of the women of the planets he conquered before blowing them away, but he couldn't say the same for the other men on Freiza's ship. Their stops were few and far between, and the women they saw on these stops where even fewer._

"_Men!" Frieza's raspy voice called out to them, closer than he had realized. "If we're done here, can we get going? Or do I have to leave without you?" Vegeta scanned the death ridden area around them and was met with Freiza's cold stare only about a hundred yards away from them._

"_Damn…" Nappa muttered, disappointment riddling his voice. "And I was hoping to have a little fun….Oh well." He dropped the girl to the ground and her obviously weak legs crumpled beneath her. She gazed up at them with cornflower blue eyes, so light they seemed to hover in her sockets. They showed no fear in their proud depths as she stared at Nappa, waiting for him to kill her. Vegeta watched, intrigued at this defiant creature in front of him. It was too bad that she was going to die in a matter of moments…..oh well….._

"_Nappa!" Freiza's voice shrieked across the small distance between them, halting Nappa as he lifted his hand to form a ball of Ki. Frieza's gaze swung to the girl's pale, broken body. "Princess Zeniotztanya." He smirked, superiority flowing across his face. "It's amazing that you're dear father would send his precious little girl out to fight." The girl's eyes sparked in defiance and she lifted her chin proudly to Frieza. "But I guess he's dead now." The girl's gaze did not falter. She returned his superior look and his smile faded, replaced with a vindictive scowl. "Why don't we keep her? I'm sure a woman's touch will….let's say….__**brighten**__ things up a bit." He let a cold laugh escaped his mouth, taunting the girl. Vegeta almost felt sorry for the little wretch. A ship full of men was no place for a young woman, let alone one as attractive as this, to be._

"_Well I'll be damned!" Nappa laughed jovially after Freiza had dissappeared. "I know he's a sick bastard and all….but DAMN!"_

_Vegeta simply nodded as he watched Nappa once again grab the girl, though this time by the arm and drag her, her legs struggling to stand, to the ship._

* * *

Vegeta took a deep breath of the night air and leaned on the balcony railing for support. He couldn't believe that it had already been twenty years since that day. He thought of his three year old son sleeping contently in his room. Trunks had been given what Vegeta considered to be all of the luxuries in life: A bed, a home, a family, and what things Bulma hadn't given their son, his grandfather certainly had. This little boy, even if only for the moment, lived in peaceful times. Cell had been defeated and Vegeta was now free to live a normal life with the family he never thought he would have.

"Vegeta?" Bulma's voice rang softly from the doorway. "Are you going to come to bed?" He glanced up at his wife. Her short blue hair had been ruffled with sleep, and her deep blue eyes where stained with worry. "You know I can't sleep without you there."

He chuckled. Could it be that she had become so used to sleeping beside him that she really couldn't sleep? Though he knew that she was probably joking with him to get him to come back to bed he still enjoyed the thought of her relying on him, even for something as simple as a restful night of sleep. He smiled at the quirky woman in front of him.

"So you can't even sleep on your own? You really are a worthless woman."

She smiled at his façade and chuckled. "Yes, Vegeta. You have me pegged." She strode up to him and kissed his cheek and in return he forced his smile to dissipate. "Now let's go to bed." She walked into the house and he followed, almost obediently, but for the sake his pride he grumbled, feigning irritation as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

* * *

Author's babble: Hey yall! I have to say it feels pretty funny (in a good sense) to be writing a fic that is NOT a Yu Yu fic. This fic has been chillin in my files for about three years now and a hair crawled up my ass at about midnight and said POST IT! so I did. Basically this is exploring the time that is unaccounted for in Vegeta's teenage years. It also explores the relationship between Bulma and Vegeta. I REALLY like the Bulma and Vegeta pairing, but I just think that adding another little complication in his life would account for his bitterness when it comes to emotion so read, enjoy and PLZ review! thx!


	2. Chapter 2

_"Heheh! Look at you!" Ratizt grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her face up for a better look. "Fuck, Nappa! How'd you find a piece of ass this good on that rock?"_

_Nappa puffed out his oversized chest and smiled proudly at his prey. "I'm just that good!"_

_Vegeta rolled his eyes and let his gaze fall on the broken little thing lying on the floor in front of him. Despite the insults the men around her threw or the prodding they did at her bruises and obviously broken bones, she never moved. Her pride interested him, but it was her eyes that intrigued him the most. The depths of those bright, cornflower blue eyes seemed to spark with a fire that exuded from her in scorching waves. Yet, though they where restless, at the same time they never seemed to falter. They were calculating and daring, never losing their shine of confidence._

_Nappa moved closer to her, grabbing her chin between his thumb and forefinger harshly, his face only inches from her own. "Hehe. I'll have fun breaking her in."_

_Her jaw clenched and her body braced against the burly man as he pressed his body even closer to hers. His face tipped ever closer and Vegeta saw a spark let loose in her eyes. She jerked her neck forward, her head meeting with Nappa's nose, sending him reeling. _

_"You little bitch!" He spat, blood dripping from his nose onto the pristine floors of the ship._

_"Hahahahaha!" The hackles on Vegeta's neck stood straight as the familiar cackle met his ears. "So the little Zentu woman has the mighty monkey beat?" Freiza taunted. The girl's eyes narrowed at the man who had ordered the destruction of her world. Her face hardened and she let out a snarl deep from her throat. Freiza's gaze swung towards her. "So….Our little whore doesn't want to give in huh?" She glared and lifted her chin proudly at him. "Haha. Send her to the medical ward. We don't want her dying before she can suffer properly." A cynical laugh escaped his throat. Vegeta was sure he was pondering all of the cruelties he could inflict on the girl._

_Nappa glared angrily at the little woman who could barely stand, but had just managed to split his face wide open. He would have his chance at her once she got out of the medical ward. Vegeta walked over to her. "What are you just standing there for? The medical ward's this way." He could see her body begin to tense again as he got closer to her. "Well, woman? Are you going or not?" She looked around her to the other men. They stared at her like dogs eyeing a slab of meat. Slowly and wearily she nodded._

* * *

Vegeta settled himself into bed once again beside Bulma. His life with her had turned out to be more than he had ever hoped for. He rolled away from her and tucked his head deep into his pillow. He knew that he would not be able to sleep tonight and if he did manage to drift off, Tanya would be waiting for him in his dreams. He felt the other side of the bed shift beneath him and warm, slender arms reached out to wrap around him.

"Vegeta? You would tell me if something was really wrong, right?" Her breath fluttered on the back of his neck as the words escaped her mouth, and a shiver ran down his spine.

He couldn't tell her no, but saying yes would mean lying to her, so he settled for his usual evasion. "Shut up and go to sleep woman. You're voice is wearing on my nerves."

"Is it now?" she sat up, her arms crossed over her chest in irritation. "Well excuse me for caring **your highness**!" She rose limberly from the bed, her tiny feet hitting the floor with purpose. "I guess the mighty prince won't mind then if I, you're lowly wench sleep in a different room!"

She stomped toward the door and Vegeta sighed heavily. He wondered sometimes why she married him at all. He rose from the bed and rushed toward her. "Damn it woman! Get back here!" He grabbed her slender arm and pulled her tiny body into his. "You're not going to sleep anywhere else."

"Oh really?" she whipped around to face him, her stomach now flush with his own. "And why the fuck not?" Her eyes blazed in their deep blue depths.

He smirked at her stubbornness. "Because you can't sleep without me."

Some of the fire left her eyes as she gazed at her husband. He was a hard, angry man, but not a cruel man. He was a cocky, arrogant, sadistic ass, but those things where what she loved so much about him. "Fine." She sighed, giving into the closest thing he had to charm.

Vegeta released her arm and his gaze softened. "Good. Then shouldn't we go to bed?"

Bulma glanced up at the clock. "Well it is four thirty in the morning….We may as well just stay up."

He raised his eyebrow, "And do what?"

She grinned up at him and moved closer, pressing their bodies against each other. "Well…I'm sure I can think of something." Her hands crept up his chest, tracing his collar bone.

He didn't even try to stop the deep moan that escaped his lips. "Damn you woman."

She giggled coyly at him. "You're damning me already? I wonder what you'll be doing once I'm done with you?" She moved her lips across the path that her fingers had just found, tracing kisses along his clavicle and up his neck, eliciting another moan from deep within his throat.

He wrapped his arms around her little waste and ran his fingers across her delicate curves. "You're not having all the fun." He smirked as he pressed her down on the bed they shared. **'_I think I like waking up early_**_'_

* * *

"_Nappa, you may as well just give up!" One of the men laughed as Nappa was knocked to the floor once again by the mysterious Zentu princess. She had been on the ship, silent, for two days and now that her strength had returned she had turned out to be quite the opponent. _

_Vegeta let out a chuckle as the bumbling fool wiped a stream of blood from his now broken lip. "Little Bitch! You should know your place!" She raised her chin in defiance and her cornflower blue eyes sparked in their depths._

_Nappa picked himself up off of the floor of the ship and charged at the girl again. Vegeta watched closely as her eyes narrowed and she evaded him, planting her foot firmly in his back. He fell, his big body hitting the floor hard, shaking the ground under his boots. Vegeta had to hold back another laugh that threatened to work its way up his throat._

"_He may be right, Nappa. Maybe you should just give up." Vegeta taunted the big man as he once again struggled to rise. He had been trying to claim his prize since she received clearance from the medical ward, each time failing miserably. _

_The fiery little woman was proving too much for him, and any of the other men on the ship who had attempted advances on her. Vegeta had to wonder how this girl, though from a supposed peaceful planet, could thwart Freiza's men so easily. Not that she would be any match for him if he wanted her. He told himself that he hadn't tried yet because he simply wasn't interested. She gazed at Nappa as he rose from the floor and smiled. He was shocked at this first brazen show of emotion. Since she had stumbled onto Freiza's ship against her will her gaze had been stoic…up until now._

"_You….Little….whore….." Nappa grumbled. She simply shook her head at the pathetic piece of meat finally rising to his feet and turned to walk away. "I'm not done with you yet bitch!" Nappa yelled after her, but she didn't even look back at him, choosing instead to stride down the hallway to the bunk that had been designated as hers._

_Vegeta patted Nappa's shoulder as he fumed, ready to go after the girl. "Give up, Nappa." He smirked down the hallway. "She's too much woman for you anyway."_

_This fiery little princess intrigued him. She never spoke, but yet what she had to say came across plainly when the men of the ship attempted to bed her. She fought each one of them, each time sending them to the floor, humiliating them one by one. Her pride rivaled his own and showed in the never-ending depths of her eyes. He stared after her tiny frame as it disappeared into the deep void of Freiza's ship._

_For the following days she hid herself well in the crevices of the ship. He wondered for a second if she was afraid of the men, but then he remembered her humiliating assault on Nappa as well as other soldiers who had tried to claim her. Every once in a while he would catch a glimpse of ivory hair around a corner or see her beautiful eyes sparkle in the shadows before they faded away. Some nights he would pass her quarters and hear her movement behind the solid door that separated them. Though the rational part of his mind told him not to, the more primitive side of him had to wonder, if he simply blasted through the flimsy metal door, what would he see on the inside?_

_It wasn't long before they reached planet Freiza. This place, hidden in shadows and devoid of light or life was only slightly more pleasing to the senses than the stifling ship that he was in. The hatch dropped and the soldiers flooded out into the open air, eager to escape the confines of the ship and each other. It was on these kind of missions that tensions between Freiza's dogs and the three proud saiyans flared the greatest. This time they had somehow managed to keep their ever-worsening tempers at bay._

_As all of the men exited the ship a flash of hair, the color of snow caught his eye. The elusive princess seemed to float off the ship, her flowing garb, typical of the Zentu people cascading out behind her. He noticed that it was torn in a few places, and blood stained the edges of her collar, obvious signs of the struggles she had endured at the hands of Freiza and his men. Never-the-less her eyes looked directly ahead, and she carried herself with all the dignity of royalty._

_One of the guards of the planet sauntered up to her, placing his greasy hand firmly on her shoulder. She stopped, eyeing the man, her blue eyes coming alive, sparking just as he had seen them do on Freiza's ship. Her hand flew from her side, too fast for the weak guard to comprehend and grasped his throat. He watched as she smiled cynically before clamping down tight on his trachea, crushing the delicate pipe in her fingers slowly. She seemed to relish the purple color that spread over his face as she cut off the flow of his jugular vein. Vegeta shuddered as her smile became sadistic and her eyes became wild. He was surprised to feel his body responding to the wonton, bestial nature of this woman before him. He couldn't peel his eyes from her as she slowly strangled the guard. However it wasn't long before he ceased his pointless struggle, his body going limp in her hold._

_The smirk faded from her face and she dropped his body to the cold, metallic ground of planet Freiza. Vegeta licked his lips. Usually the women that his men captured were of little interest to him, but this woman was different. He had never seen a woman look as beautiful as she had when she had strangled Freiza's guard, a sadistic smile touching the edges of her tempting mouth and her eyes sparkling with pleasure at the suffering of her victim. He hated to admit it, but he wanted the fiery little Zentu princess._

* * *

Vegeta traced his fingers along Bulma's now naked spine. He marveled at how perfect her curves where as they sloped along her milky skin. A little moan escaped her throat followed by a low, tired giggle that made him smile. "That feels good." She purred, leaning into his touch.

"Really?" He asked, his voice deep in his throat. He inched closer to her and gathered her little body into his massive, toned arms. "How about this?" He nipped her neck and nibbled his way down her shoulders.

"Vegeta, I'm tired! Come on!" She swatted at him, but was betrayed by a giggle that bubbled unwillingly from her throat.

"Really? Bet I could change that." He kissed his way down her collar bone and took one of her nipples into his mouth, nipping at the tip. A tiny mew of pleasure escaped her throat and he grinned, relishing in her pleasure.

"Mom!" Vegeta growled in irritation, but moved away from his wife as the door opened and his son came padding into the room on bare feet.

"Trunks!" Bulma pulled the covers over her bared breasts and painted a smile on her face, trying to lessen the passionate flush on her cheeks. "Hi baby!" she pulled him up onto her lap, kissing his cheek. "Is there something that you need?"

Vegeta scowled at the little boy who had so easily stolen his wife's attention. What he **needed** to go back to bed and allow his mother and father to pick up where they had left off.

"Breakfast." He said simply, his big blue eyes gazing up to his mother. She smiled affectionately at her son and Vegeta let out a low growl. His attempts had been thwarted by this purple haired little brat and he didn't even realize what he had done.

Bulma sighed, obviously tired from their earlier escapades, but nodded to her son none-the-less. "Ok, honey. Go wait in the kitchen while mommy gets dressed. I'll be right down." The little boy exited the room and she began to lift herself up from the bed when suddenly she was pulled roughly back down by her hair. "OW! Vegeta! What the hell was that about, you ass!"

"Shut your mouth woman. I'll take care of the brat." He rolled out of bed, landing easily on his feet, his naked body brilliant in the early morning sun that gleamed through the window.

"Wha—" she asked shocked at Vegeta's sudden decision to take care of her son.

He smirked devilishly over his shoulder at her. "You'll need your rest. I'm not done with you."

He pulled on a pair of loose fitting shorts and strode down the hallway, eager to get the brat taken care of so that he could get back to his wife. When he entered the kitchen Trunks stared at him, a confused look plastered on his face.

"Where's mommy?" He asked, his voice riddled with uncertainty at this sudden change in his routine.

"In bed, now what do you want kid?" He barked, making the boy shrink away from the table.

"Pancakes?" He squeaked.

"For fuck sake kid! I don't know how to make pancakes!" Trunks shrunk away farther at his father's harsh tone. Vegeta stared, puzzled at the timid little boy sitting across the table from him. He sighed, trying his best to make his voice soften. "How 'bout some of that cereal stuff?" He rummaged through the cupboards trying to find the box of 'Fruit Loops' that he had seen Bulma pull out on occasion for their son.

The boy nodded and Vegeta deftly poured milk into the bowl of dry cereal. How had he become this domesticated? He set the bowl down in front of Trunks and the little boy smiled up at him charmingly. "Thank you Daddy!"

Vegeta almost smiled back at his son. If he had to be truthful, he loved his son and, though he still thought that the boy shouldn't be allowed to barge into his bedroom any time he wanted, he sincerely enjoyed their time together. There had been a time when he thought that he would never have a child of his own. Never had he imagined himself responding to 'Daddy' or receiving the love and respect that his son gave him unconditionally. Freiza had shattered all of his hopes for that, but yet now, almost twenty years later he had reclaimed his ability to hope, to dream, and to have a family.

"Oh! Vegeta! Good Morning!" Mrs. Breif's shrill voice met his ears, making him grimace. "I was just coming down to make little Trunks some pancakes, but I see his father's already taken care of his tummy!"

"Grandma!" The little boy hopped down from the table and ran over to his grandmother, hugging her legs fiercely.

"Vegeta, you can go relax now if you want! I have everything under control." She picked Trunks up, swinging him in her arms and he giggled.

Vegeta simply grunted and headed up the stairs to his bedroom where his wife was waiting for him to return.

* * *

_Author's Babble: Ok! Chapter Two! Yay! I've decided that this story will be updated weekly on Wednesdays, though it will probably be late at night on Wednesdays, I won't lie. Like tonight, it wasn't technically on till 1:00 am Thursday. lolz. Thank you to HikariNeko for your review. So far she is my only reviewer. It makes me happy that I HAVE a reviewer, but at the same time sad that I only have one. sad day...oh well...anywho there's a little bit of limade in this chapter and there will probably be some lemon in the later chappies, so please if what I wrote in this chapter offended you, I would suggest not reading the rest of the story, because it's only gonna get worse (or better) :) from here on out. Please REVIEW! I love reviews, they make me all warm and fuzzy inside. Everytime I open my e-mail to see a pretty review my insides get all warm and happy! :) so make me happy. I will take: constructive critisizm and of course praise is always welcome. Flames will be used to make smores. Now down to the boring part: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the related characters such as Bulma, Trunks, Vegeta (though I wish I owned him. lolz) or any of the other characters that may pop up so don't sue me. Thx. The next chapter will follow this one in one week! Thanks guys! Ciao!_

_-Dillio-chan-_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter two

_Vegeta grinned as another of Freiza's dogs came rushing toward him, determined to defeat the prince during his sparring session. This was his favorite part of the day. He formed a ball of ki in his hand, aimed it toward the large, bulky alien and released it, leaving only ashes fluttering aimlessly in the air. He scanned the training hall, searching for an opponent, but no one would step forward to face the ruthless prince._

_"Is there no man here who is worthy to fight me?" He yelled, his voice echoing in the large, metal room. At his challenge all of the men stepped back, some even leaving the room in an attempt to spare their lives. "Hmph," Vegeta grumbled at their cowardice. A real man would never back down from a fight._

_"Not a man." A deep, sultry voice met his ears. It washed over him, flooding his senses with rich, feminine tones laced with a thick accent unlike any he had heard before. He forced down the urge to whip his body around to face the woman, settling instead for his head to swivel slowly to see her. She had changed from her bloody and tattered robes to a strangely unarming training outfit, consisting of formfitting shorts and a sleeveless shirt._

_Her gaze fell directly on him, her light blue orbs sucking him in like a tantalizing vortex. He could see everything in them: her pride, her confidence, her bloodlust, and at that very moment, her need to fight him. A large grin spread on his face and he lowered himself into his fighting stance, inviting her to do the same. As she grinned back, accepting his challenge he let out a small chuckle. This woman had more balls than any of the piss-poor excuses for men on that ship….Or perhaps she just didn't know any better. It looked to him like she needed to learn exactly what damage the prince of all saiyans could cause to her frail little body._

_Vegeta launched himself toward her tiny frame, hurtling his fist toward her chin, but she sidestepped, easily evading him. This was going to be more interesting than he had thought. She was fast. The minutes flew past as they played their game of cat-and-mouse, each one evading the other. Vegeta's blows came hard and punishing, each one sending the girl reeling, stumbling to catch her balance. However, she was stronger than he had believed, and each time his fist connected with her porcelain face she recoiled, rushing back for more of his abuse._

* * *

_"Hey princess! Nice ass!" One of the guards whistled at her, and her gaze swung momentarily toward the lecherous alien._

_Perfect. Vegeta rushed toward her, his fist colliding with her jaw, knocking her into the cold metal wall of the ship. He positioned his solid body in front of her, holding her wrists well above head and pinning her thighs with his own, preventing her movement._

_"You surrender?" He locked onto her eyes, her face only inches from his own. He was taunting her, and the smirk that played on her lips told him she knew it._

_"Claudeta Fer Tenri Flui Sai-gin….." She whispered, her eyes searching his, as if looking for unfathomable answers in their dark depths._

_His face contorted to confusion at this strange new language. "What the hell was that woman?" He demanded, tightening his grip on her to emphasize his question._

_She grimaced only slightly at the discomfort his body was causing her before her gaze hardened and she smiled. "I said." Her voice deepened, her accent rolling off of her tongue in sultry waves. "There is a real man among the Saiyans."_

* * *

Vegeta rolled out of bed, setting his feet silently on the floor, not wanting to wake the sleeping woman beside him. He looked over his shoulder at her, his gaze traveling up her beautiful body. He had always marveled at how delicate and fragile she was. Even her skin was smooth and white as porcelain, making her seem as if she were a china doll. He reached over to her, pulling her discarded blankets gently over her exposed, naked frame and he brushed her ruffled hair softly behind her ear, exposing the delicate lines of her face. He sighed, finally bringing himself to rise off of the bed. Would she still stay here beside him if she knew the truth behind his past? He pulled on his training shorts and started toward the door.

"Vegeta?" Bulma's voice was probing and laced with exhaustion. "Where are you going now?"

"Damn woman. Do you have to know where I am every waking moment?"

She tiredly opened her eyes, taking in his brilliantly muscled form that seemed as if it had been specially sculpted by the tender, loving hands of the gods. She glanced over to the night stand where her alarm clock was; seven o'clock. Vegeta was late for his morning training.

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes in irritation. "Can't you stay in bed with me for just one day?"

"Hmph," He grumbled at her, moving closer to the door. "I did woman. You should be grateful. I would rather have been training over an hour ago."

"Fine," she grouched, rolling over to face away from him. "Go train or whatever you want to do…But I'm not going to be waiting here whenever you're ready to come back!"

When she heard him grunt and the door closed behind him she knew he had ignored her irritation and left for the gravity room. She sighed and attempted to go back to sleep. She knew she shouldn't expect him to stay with her, he had always just gotten what he wanted and taken off in the morning. She knew there was no point in getting angry about it. It was just the way things were with him. He would show his affection the only way he knew how, only to escape to the comfort of pushing his physical limits.

Vegeta made his way down the winding halls of Capsule Corporation, his feet moving mechanically under him. He didn't understand why she stayed. He would have liked to tell himself she had convinced herself that their son was enough reason for her to put up with him; that he could understand. However, the deep longing that he found in her eyes each time she gazed at him told him otherwise. She truly wanted him, truly cared for him…..why he had no idea. He asked himself that question every day.

He entered the gravity room, making sure the door sealed behind him before moving to the gravity machine, turning it on as high as it would possibly go. His muscles strained against the heavy gravity as he powered up.

Cornflower eyes entered his mind as he transformed into his super saiyan form.

"_Understand this," _her words seemed to echo through his mind, as if she were in the room with him. _"If you keep hiding behind your super sai-gin legend there will be no hope for you."_ He closed his eyes and pictured her face, angled and refined, those reflective blue eyes meeting his, holding nothing back. _"Oha tee glouta te."_

He opened his eyes and thrust a violent punch into nothingness. "You will always be a slave," he whispered, translating the words she had said to him so long ago. At least she had been wrong about one thing. He was not a slave anymore, but she could not have predicted Kakorot, and as much as he hated to admit it, if it wasn't for the third class Saiyan he would still be enslaved by the tyrant….or he would be dead.

He threw another flurry of punches into the air, his body straining against the high gravity. He couldn't go on with her haunting him like this. He concentrated his Ki, bringing his body to its brink. If he couldn't shake her memory, he would simply have to train until he could no longer remember anything.

* * *

"_There is a real man among the Saiyans."_

_At her translation of the strange language he smirked and released her, leaving her a few inches of passage. She smirked back at the proud Saiyan and pressed her body into his as she brushed past, allowing her body to tantalize him. He growled in warning, but the proud princess only broadened her smile, relishing in her new-found challenge. _

"_What's wrong?" she questioned, her smirk still in place on her lips as she ran her finger across his shoulders. "Did I make the mighty monkey sweat?"_

_Another growl escaped his throat, this time loud and angry in response to the metaphor so often used by Freiza."Shut your mouth woman." His voice was thick with warning as he moved closer to her._

_Vegeta glanced quickly around the training hall only to realize that all of the men, seeing the anger on the prince's face had already left in an attempt to spare their lives. He grinned cynically at the little woman in front of him and stalked closer to her, his big body blazing with pent up anger. Her feet stood firm on the floor, refusing to move even as he stopped only inches in front of her._

"_It takes a very stupid woman to anger me." Vegeta warned the woman, attempting to keep the deep rumble of need from his voice._

_She smirked at him and took a small step forward, closing the already small threshold between them and pressed her body against his. Vegeta couldn't help the subtle response his body gave as he felt her little breasts press enticingly against his chest plate. His heart hastened its rhythm in his chest and his breath became deeper, taking her in._

_It was as if she knew as she stood on her toes and brought her mouth to his ear. "Then maybe I'm stupid." Her whispered words sent her breath washing across his neck, causing his senses to tingle._

_He growled deeply at her brazen act and wrapped his fingers around her tiny waste, pulling her violently into him. He felt the wind leave her body at the impact and in his mind he smiled. "Don't test me girl."Despite his abuse she raised her knee, brushing it sensually along the inside of his thigh, eliciting a small moan, covered by a loud growl. "I'm not like those other fools," he warned, his voice becoming gravely with his growing desire. "If I want you I __**will **__have you."_

_She smiled as he tightened his grip on her to emphasize his already clear point. "And if I want you," she whispered, her words sultry and exotic, deepening with her own need. "Then I will have __**you**__."_

_Vegeta's grip loosened only slightly and she quickly took advantage, lifting herself to her toes, winding her arms around his neck and pressing her lips firmly to his. At first he stiffened, shocked at this brassy little princess. She pulled her lips away from his, moving them to graze his ear._

"_Well?" She whispered, her voice soft and probing. "Do you want me?"_

_He didn't answer for a moment, allowing himself to fully understand the meaning of her question. He grinned. This ballsy little woman had chased off every other pursuer and was now challenging him, and Vegeta __**never**__ backed down from a challenge. _

_In one swift movement he grabbed her arms that had been tangled around his neck and threw them over her head, pinning her against the back wall of the training hall. Her eyes captured his and he delved into the intoxicating blue mist._

"_Now that's more like it," she grinned, her eyes sparking in his. "That's what I would expect from the _Sai-gin_ prince."_

* * *

Sweat rolled down his body and his breath came in short, ragged gasps. He had failed in his effort to forget her, but then again, he had been failing in that vain for twenty years. He paused to wipe off the sweat that had collected on his brow and was threatening to drip into his eyes. As he paused a flash of purple caught his eye through the transparent glass of the gravity room. He adjusted his body so that he could better see the little boy gazing sheepishly into the room at his father. Vegeta smiled at the boy, answering his unspoken plea by striding over to the control panel and de-activating the gravity. A wide grin stretched across Trunks' face and he ran over to the door, throwing it open and dashing across the room to join his father.

"Are you ready to train boy?"

The child nodded, his purple locks bobbing along with his head.

"Then get ready brat."

The boy lowered himself into his fighting position, launching himself at his father.

Bulma glanced at the clock and sighed tiredly. She had been trying to go back to sleep since Vegeta had rose from their bed, but her efforts had not been successful. She rose and rubbed her eyes. It was probably better that she got up anyway. She had a project that had been waiting in the lab for nearly a week and this was her chance to get it done. She opened the door and padded on bare feet to the hallway of her home. The familiar sound of her husband's morning training session met her ears from across the house and she shook her head in irritation as she entered the kitchen.

"Good morning honey!" Her mother's sing-song voice rang across the kitchen. She was washing breakfast dishes, her permanent smile plastered on her face. Bulma poured herself a cup of the thick, black coffee that her mother had prepared for her earlier that morning.

"Hey mom," Bulma looked around, her expression puzzled, "Where's Trunks? I thought he was with you."

"He was with me, honey." She smiled, drying her hands on a small dish towel, "But then he heard the gravity machine turn on and he ran off."

Bulma smiled softly, and her voice quieted. "Ok. Thanks mom."

She grabbed her steaming cup of coffee and padded up the stairs to the gravity room where she was sure her son would be training with his father. When she reached the glass encased gravity room all of her former irritation at her husband drained away. He would never be a compassionate or sweet father like Goku, of that she was sure, but as he corrected their son, teaching him the way of their Saiyan ancestors, he seemed almost gentle.

He kicked the back of the boy's legs, forcing him to lower his fighting stance. Trunks concentrated hard, his father's permanent scowl plastered on his tiny face. She smiled warmly to herself and snuck down the hallway before Vegeta could see her and the moment he was having with their son was ruined.

**_Author's Babble: Hey guys! I'm so sorry that this chapter didn't come up when I said it would. I forgot that the first couple weeks of college always come with enough homework to completely prevent me from writing :( sad day. Anywho I'm changing the updates from once a week to once every two weeks so hopefully I can actually KEEP my promises now. Again so srry! Forgive me! Thank you so much to my reviewers! You know who you are! You guys are wonderful and I hope you continue to read. No lemonade in this chappie, but should be coming later, so if those kind of things offend you I would suggest not reading any of the upcoming chapters. I'm not trying to chase away readers, really. I just don't want to offend anyone so figured I'd give all of you a warning just to be fair. Well, whether you liked it or have constructive critisizm leave your review at the door. Flames will be used to make smores. Now for the boring part: I don't own DBZ or any of the related characters (accept Zeniotstanya of course! :) So don't sue me! Well I think that's all._**

**_Dillio OUT!_**


	4. Chapter 4

_Vegeta leaned back on his bunk and glanced over to the woman who was pulling her clothing over her brilliantly naked form. She gazed over her shoulder and her cloudy blue eyes dove into his, searching their dark depths. He thought he saw a flash a pain dust across her misty orbs before it disappeared and she grinned at him. She shrugged on her shirt, finally turning to face him. _

"_Well Vegeta," she walked, her hips swaying over to where he was laying and rested her hands on the bed. "That was fun." Soft lips closed over his just as they had a few hours ago before pulling away all-too-soon. "I may have to come back again."_

_He grunted and returned her smirk. "If you don't I'll find you."_

_A deep, sultry laugh escaped her throat, causing a chill of renewed desire to run up his spine. "I hope so." Behind her passionate gaze he saw a glimmer of hope, telling him that she was sincere in her desire. It unnerved him slightly to think that this woman would truly want to spend another night with the ruthless murderer who had played such a key role in destroying everything she had ever known._

_She released his gaze and floated gracefully out of his room, her intoxicating body moving with all the grace that her proud heritage afforded her. He sighed and allowed his eyes to close._

"_That's what I would expect from the Sai-gin prince." _

_As her voice deepened with desire he felt his body responding, vehemently demanding that he provide it release. He leaned toward her and his lips crashed in on hers, delivering a bruising kiss that elicited a moan from deep in her throat. Despite the punishing nature of his kiss, she leaned into him, matching his ruthlessness._

_She pulled back slightly, licking her lips. "Are we staying here?" she whispered, her soft breath sending a shiver rolling across his skin._

"_No." He grunted before diving back into the intoxicating kiss that had been broken only moments before._

_She leaned into him, and another low moan escaped her preoccupied lips. He could feel her soft, enticing curves even through his armor and his fingers itched to remove the obtrusive clothing. Vegeta broke the kiss reluctantly and gazed into her misty blue orbs momentarily before leading her out of the training hall and down the empty, stoic halls of the compound._

_Vegeta led her through a small metal door into his chambers. He could feel her tiny body quivering with anticipation and smell her arousal thickening in the air around him. He clamped down on his strengthening desire. He was the prince of all Saiyans and he would be damned if he would surrender to his hard, primal desire before he was ready. Yes, the Saiyan Prince was the image of control._

_He heard the metal door shut softly behind him and her silken hands ran up his back, slipping off his armor plate before settling on his strong, well muscled shoulders. He could feel her soft little body flatten itself against his back, he breasts melting into his hardened muscle. She traced her fingers along the back of his neck, eliciting a moan from deep in his chest. All of his thoughts of control melted away as her fingers expertly tantalized his body, running down his back once more before winding around his waist, grazing his pant line_

_He groaned again, this time coming loud and demanding, rumbling hungrily from his body. "Damn-it woman," he snarled, his words dripping with pent-up need. "You will regret toying with me."_

_She let out a low, sultry laugh before dipping her hands lower on his loins, teasing him. "I will huh?" she taunted. _

_She had to have known the consequences of her brazen actions, because when he grabbed her arms and threw her violently on his small bed she only smirked up at him. Her blue orbs glinted with a fire that seemed to reflect a flame deep in her soul. He could get lost in those mysterious eyes, cloudy with desire._

_He peeled himself away from her gaze before snarling at her again, out of irritation, partly for his own weakness. "Don't make me hurt you girl." He warned, attempting to remove the deep need from his voice._

_She laughed again, indicating that he had failed in his effort which only further infuriated the proud Saiyan. "Don't worry," she arched her back, pressing herself closer to him, "I'm not fragile."_

_He returned her smirk. If she was enough of a fool to ask for abuse, then abuse is what he would give her. He nipped roughly at her shoulder, causing her skin to ripple with pain. Though, her face told a different story than her flesh, as her eyes rolled back and she let out a little mew of pleasure. The little sound, that resembled a plea for more severed Vegeta's last threat of control. He ravished her mouth with his own and impatiently yanked off the little black top that thinly covered her; the last thin barrier between him and her luxurious body._

_His clothing quickly followed hers and he paused for a moment to take in the tiny body before him. Had he not have experienced her strength for himself he would have never believed that this tiny, frail little woman could take the beating that he had issued to it that day. Aside from a few small bruises that dotted her shoulders and torso, she seemed completely unscathed by their skirmish earlier._

_She squirmed in disapproval at his slow scan of her newly naked form and glared up at him. "Are you just going to look?" Her deep accent caused the hairs on the nape of his neck to prickle, as if a cold wind had just washed over him._

_He grunted to her before covering her body with his own and diving into another deep kiss. "Shut the fuck up woman," he breathed into her lips._

_A searing pain lashed through his mind as her teeth bit harshly at his lower lip, drawing blood. "Damn you woman! I should kill you for that!" He yanked his head up violently and glared at the little woman beneath him._

_All of his ire drained away as he stared at the sight in front of him. She licked her lips where his blood had pooled, staining her mouth scarlet, and closed her eyes, intoxicated by the copper taste that lingered on her tongue. Her pale little body writhed at the sudden loss of his heat and her eyes fluttered open, silently begging him to come back._

"_Is that all you have prince?"_

_He moaned deep in his throat before diving back into her, allowing his mind and body to become lost in her soft, yet ruthless touch. For a while it seemed as if they had created a separate reality._

_Vegeta opened his eyes and glanced over to the now empty spot beside him. He always had to come back to life, though. Even if he had found solace in the fiery little Zentu princess, his hell was now waiting for him to slip his armor back on and join the inferno in which he existed._

* * *

The boy had such a short attention span. Vegeta sighed into the hot water of the shower as it pelted his face mercilessly. Trunks had trained for under an hour with his father before running out of the room to find his more doting grandparents. Though, Vegeta had to admit that he had been done with his training also. It did him no good to press his body to his physical limits if he was distracted by thoughts of the woman who haunted his dreams. It had been such a long time ago that they had found one another, both tormented, baneful souls, using each other to help pick up the broken pieces of their glass-menagerie hearts. And even after over twenty years she still couldn't leave him in peace.

The hot water poured over his body, soothing his tired muscles. Water could do wonders for a person's body, it could turn to ice and numb the pain inflicted by a wound, or could do as it was doing now and relax away a body's aches. Now, if only it could find a way to heal his soul. Whether that was through icing him over so that he could be numb, or allowing the memories to drift away with the wind, he didn't care.

His thoughts faded away as a light ki entered the room. It was Bulma, padding on bare feet into the bathroom that adjoined the bedroom they shared. He heard the muffled sound of clothes dropping to the tile floor before the shower door slid open and she slipped in with him.

He smiled to himself before turning toward the blue haired woman who had joined him. "I thought you said you wouldn't be waiting for me."

She grinned at his memory of her threat earlier that morning. "I wasn't. I just wanted to take a break and thought a shower sounded nice. You just happened to be in here too."

"Hmph." Vegeta snorted and turned from her, going back to his shower. "Well then, if that's why you're here then don't let me stop you."

"Vegeta…" the grin that had only moments before graced her face faded away at his cold response. There had been something bothering him lately and she needed to know what it was, had to know before it drove her crazy.

Her tiny arms slid around his waist and she laid her head on his back, hoping to soothe his irritation. "Vegeta, what's wrong? You've been acting cold lately."

His whole body stiffened under her touch, his already rock-hard muscles tightening and going rigid. At his reaction she inwardly grimaced, wishing that she could reach out and snatch the question back as it hung in the air between them.

"Nothing is wrong with me woman. Stop your nonsense."

Bulma could feel the anger welling up in the pit of her stomach at his indifference. What irritated her most of all though, was the fact that he still wouldn't face her. He kept his back turned showing little to no interest in her presence.

She tried to hold back the venomous words that had gathered on her tongue, but they spilled out with sharp indignance. "Bull shit Vegeta! I've never seen you lie so poorly before, and if you think I'm enough of an idiot to buy your cheap talk then you're the one who's a fool! Not me!"

He didn't move, didn't even acknowledge that she was speaking to him. Her voice rose to an angry shriek, made all the more potent by the hard tile walls. "Damn it Vegeta! Look at me!"

"Get out." His voice was flat and void of any kind of emotion and she'd be damned if it didn't sting her heart worse than if he had slapped her.

"Wha-" she choked, the tears forming at the edges of her eyes, squelching her burning rage.

"I said get out." He snarled, his anger now plain for her to hear.

"Vegeta…I'm sorry…I just…" Her tears began their steady stream down her cheeks, mixing with the steaming water from the shower.

"Damn it woman!" He finally turned to face her, his pitch colored eyes sparking with pent up anger, and if she wasn't mistaken there was something that resembled pain in their dark depths. "You come in here seeking me, you shed your damn clothes and **then** you choose to chide me?"

He didn't see the tears themselves, but her bloodshot eyes told him that she was crying, the tears lost in the steady spray of water. At this realization he ceased his ruthless verbal assault. If there was one thing he couldn't stand it was to see her cry. He flung the shower door open, shattering the glass and charged out of the bathroom, grabbing his training shorts along the way. Bulma was left to stare at the mess he had left behind. Alone and crying she leaned down to begin picking up the pieces of splintered glass that at that moment surely resembled her now broken and bleeding heart.

* * *

"_Vegeta!" The sickeningly nasal voice invaded his ears and shrieked through his mind, forcing his eyes to open._

_The door to his chamber flew open to reveal Zarbon's tall, blue form in the narrow entrance. It was hardly large enough to contain his figure and he crouched to keep from hitting his head._

"_What do you want?" Vegeta grumbled and sat upright in his bed, shooting a venomous look at the blue man._

_Zarbon looked Vegeta up and down with puzzled eyes. The Saiyan's usually kinetic form was still, and his typically fiery gaze seemed somehow sated. He knitted his eyebrows together in a scowl before speaking. "Lord Freiza requested an audience with you immediately."_

_Vegeta returned Zarbon's deep scowl. "Fine."_

_Zarbon simply nodded and exited the room, not wanting to spend any more time with the filthy Saiyan than he had to._

_Vegeta sighed and pulled himself to his feet, deftly sliding on his armor. He always had mixed emotions about meeting with the tyrant who kept him hostage. Many times he would be called in and abused because of infractions that he could not name. However, other times it would mean a mission and a brief reprieve from the stifling sterility of planet Freiza._

_He sauntered down the hall, willing his confidence to the surface. Whatever Freiza had in store for him, he could take it. He knocked lightly on the door of Freiza's quarters. "Lord Freiza, may I enter."_

"_Ah…Vegeta," The lizard's shrill voice seemed to seep through the walls and snake up Vegeta's neck, making his hair stand on end. "I've been expecting you. Enter."_

_He took his order quickly, not wanting to make the volatile dictator wait and stepped into the room, immediately bowing in front of Freiza, his eyes fixed on the floor. "You called my lord?" he tried to keep from grimacing at the terrible taste his words left in his mouth._

"_Yes I did Vegeta. I have a planet that needs cleansing, and it's calling your name." Freiza turned away from him and gazed through his window and into the galaxies. Vegeta was sure he was contemplating which ones would destroy first._

"_Yes my lord. I'll inform Nappa directly." He rose to leave, but Freiza turned to him and stopped him._

"_No you won't." His face turned cold and he glared menacingly at the Saiyan._

"_Then I will prepare a pod for myself." He understood when Freiza wanted him to go alone. It was a game he liked to play with the prince; see how long he would take on his own and then punish him, whether the job was done quickly or not._

"_No you won't."_

_At this Vegeta's eyes widened in shock. "If you'll excuse me Lord Freiza, what do you want me to do?"_

_Freiza smirked, loving that the Saiyan prince had no idea what he was thinking. He relished in the confused look on his face for a moment before continuing. "Take the girl. If two little monkeys can't get the job done right, maybe the one monkey and snow white can get it done faster."_

_Vegeta's brows furrowed together in an indignant response to the nickname that the tyrant so commonly to describe his proud heritage._

"_Well, what are you waiting for, Vegeta?" The smirk quickly disappeared from Freiza's face as his irritation built._

_Recognizing his anger Vegeta quickly bowed once more. "As you wish Lord Freiza." He made his way out of the room before snarling angrily and setting out to find Zeniotstanya._

* * *

**Author's Babble:** **Hello to all of my wonderful readers out there! Thank you so much for reading (and hopefully reviewing! HINT HINT!) You guys are all really awesome for sticking with this story through its slowness. I really hope it's worth the wait. I am a college student and find it hard to find time to write. (though I would much rather write then do homework). I just really hope that my finesse in my stories are not suffering because of it. I am trying very hard to keep everyone true to their character, as I know I personally would not read a fic if the characters (especially Vegeta) was out of character. Well I do not own DBZ cause if I did Vegeta would've gotten MUCH stronger than Goku and owned his ass (or at least saved the world once in the series.) Well I do believe that's all.**

**-Dillio-**


	5. Chapter 5

Chap 5

_The flight hadn't taken long. In three weeks they had landed and where preparing to scourge the planet that Freiza had sent them to. It did unnerve him slightly to be cleansing a planet with only this girl for help, but he had seen her fight, and he admitted grudgingly that he had been impressed by her almost playful show of power._

_She exited the pod and stretched her slender body with a smirk. "So Veteta, who do we kill first?" ._

_As her eyes narrowed and a smile spread across her lips, a deadly fire lit up inside of her. He couldn't help but stare at the transformation that was so obviously happening within her soul. It was as if, with the thought of a battle, she became a completely new creature._

_Vegeta's own smirk crept slowly across his lips at the girl who was itching for a fight. Maybe he had finally found a warrior who was worth his time. This planet was lush and green, with trees covering the fiery horizon and the grass soft and giving under his feet. He scanned the horizon for life and his eyes fell on a cluster of giant buildings on the horizon. They jutted into the air, marring the beautiful landscape with their heavy, metal frames . He pointed silently and her grin spread even farther. He returned her smile and they both flew off, skimming above the tree-line of the thick forest that seemed to cover most of the small planet._

_When they reached the city, he hovered above her, interested to see what she would do. She hovered there for a moment, scanning the high rooftops, as if inspecting their quality. Before he could ask what she was waiting for, she formed a ball of ki in the palm of her hand and launched it at one of the buildings, sending the top floor crumbling onto the next. The domino effect continued until the building was nothing but rubble. People spilled out each of the doors, little aunts attempting to survive the destruction of their hill._

_Her smile broadened and a cynical laugh bubbled up in her throat as she watched the masses scatter. Their panic stricken screams echoed in the air and tickled his ears with pleasure, sending a shiver up his spine. But even better was the deep fire in her eyes as she descended onto the cold ground of the planet and began to destroy everything around her. Only then did Vegeta follow, eager to quell the deep burning desire to fight that was now welling up inside of him. She had ignited it, and as he incinerated the weak people of the planet, he found that his desire did not wane. This was not fighting, but killing. He wanted a real challenge, a true battle, and none of these people could present that to him._

_Vegeta gazed over to where the girl was. She threw ki blasts around her, turning the people of the planet into ash right before his eyes. One man broke from the crowd and attempted to run past her. She snaked her hand out and grabbed him by the throat with a laugh, easily snapping his neck. Her wonton display was strangely alluring and he couldn't help but slow his part of the destruction to gaze at her lithe frame as she darted in and out of the masses of people, slaughtering each one with more grace and abandon than he ever thought possible._

* * *

Bulma rolled over to cradle her pillow in her king sized bed. It seemed gargantuan without Vegeta there taking up more than his half of the mattress. She sighed wearily, the sound hollow in the room that they normally shared. The muffled echo reminded her again of the loneliness that surrounded her and she had an urge to reach over to the caved-in, well used spot where he would normally be. But she knew that her hand wouldn't land on hot, chiseled flesh. No, the only thing that would meet her hand now would be the chilly, new silk sheets that she had insisted be placed on their bed only a few days ago for the summer that was quickly enveloping the city.

When was the last time he had left her to sleep alone? She had to rack her genius brain for an appropriate answer to the question; it seemed like so long ago. But as she thought, she realized that it had only been in the past two years since the Cell Games that he had begun to come to her bed regularly. At first, it had only been for a few hours, a few nights a week. But then he slowly increased the frequency of his visits. It wasn't long before the Saiyan prince was a nightly resident in her room. That's how Vegeta did everything involving his family; slowly and methodically. It was as if he had been afraid that if he began to sleep with her nightly that he would be less of a man, or less of a warrior.

She sighed again and unwound herself from her pillow, laying spread out on the bed, hoping it would make her feel less minuscule.

"Oh, Vegeta…" She whispered into the nothingness that surrounded her. "What's going on with you?"

* * *

Vegeta gazed out to the mountain range that surrounded him. He often came here to think, or to train away from the house when he didn't want to be bothered by Bulma or the brat. He hated to admit it, but sometimes it was difficult to deal with life as an earthling. He had killed thousands of men, had ended entire civilizations, had even destroyed his own partner and never had he felt guilt for taking any of their lives. However, with the woman, all she had to do was shed a single tear and guilt invaded his mind, paralyzing him. No matter how much he wished he could have continued his rampage earlier and ignored her tears, he just couldn't. All he could do once the tears began to fall was leave.

The source of this softness toward his family, he supposed, was due to the fact that they where the only people to ever care about him despite all he had done. Bulma told him that she loved him every night before she went to sleep, despite the fact that she knew he would not reply. She had given him a son and he had been cold and uncaring, even going so far as to be spiteful toward her and the boy, but still she loved him. Even now, when he had so obviously wronged her, she was probably laying in their bed, staring the empty spot beside her, wishing he would come back, even though all he had ever done was hurt her.

Then there was the boy, the son that she had given him, despite the fact that neither of them had truly wanted a child. His love was different even from the woman's. Vegeta could feel that difference when his son gazed up at him, deep and unconditional love and respect filling his tiny frame.

To be loved and depended on was not a sensation he was accustomed to, and it certainly wasn't unpleasant, but at times his new role became overwhelming. These two people looked to him for protection and support. They looked to him to be a father and a husband; things that he had no idea how to be. He had no one in his past that he could attempt to emulate. He only had fleeting memories of his own father, who had died when he was five, and though Nappa was the closest thing he had to a parent, he had taught Vegeta how to be a cold-blooded killer and how to survive the cold world he was expected to live in, not a caring father. All he could do was fumble in the darkness, hoping that he was doing things right. A life of killing certainly wasn't nearly as complex as life with a family.

Vegeta gazed up to the stars and breathed in the open air of the night. Tanya could stare at those tiny, silver dots for hours, longing to be among them. He still remembered the jaded glow of her eyes, having seen so much in her time, the orbs of light in the sky reflecting in her own misty blue ones. Sometimes he saw so much of her in Bulma. But then he would look at Bulma's eyes, filled with the wonder and curiosity of a child, and he would remind himself that she was so very different.

"_How many have you been to?"_ She had once asked him, her deep cerulean orbs filled with wonder.

He had answered with a disdainful grunt. "_Foolish woman, do you honestly believe that I remember every planet I've been to?" _He had been honest with her that day. As much as he was sure she would have liked to have heard that he remembered everyone he had killed, every planet that he had conquered, and that he regretted each one, he didn't. He was a monster and he always would be, no matter how much she wished to deny it.

No, he was not the sweet, caring, doting father that Kakorot was, but at least he was still here. He could have taken off into the deep void of space after the Cell games and they never would have seen him again, but he hadn't. The lavender haired brat had been in this world for three years and still he was here, attempting to care for him and his mother. He had even attempted to fight the deepest, darkest parts of his past so that he could be a better father and husband. But now the realities of his past where bubbling to the surface, eating away at his sanity, allowing in the monster that he had tried so hard to seal away. It was that monster who had emerged during his fight with Bulma earlier that day.

He shuddered at the memory of her deep cerulean orbs, so endless that he felt as if he could fall into them, bloodshot and puffy from tears. It pained him to be the one to bring that broken expression to her normally fiery and defiant features. He sighed and wiped his hand across his face before rising and taking off toward Capsule Corporation. He owed her some sort of apology, but how he was going to choke it out was the mystery.

* * *

_Soon nothing but inferno surrounded them, and the planets life-force was reduced to nothing. Standing amidst the rubble, he watched the light that he had found himself becoming entranced by fade from her eyes. It was replaced by a mysterious calm, shrouded by an emotion that bore a strange resemblance to pain._

_The sun was completing its slow decent over the edge of the planet, painting the sky with fire and blood. She moved to the middle of the street and flopped down in the center of the once bustling road, gazing up at the first of the stars that had begun to dapple the night sky._

"_Their beautiful, aren't they?" she whispered, nostalgia touching the edges of her voice."Do you ever think of being among them, Vegeta?"_

"_Hmph." He scoffed at the question, but sat down on the hard ground beside her nonetheless. "And another foolish woman on another worthless planet is gazing at the star of this rock wishing the same thing. If you wish to be a star, you will always be wishing."_

_A laugh bubbled up from her throat, clear and amused. "Leave it to you to remind me of reality, Vegeta…..But really, it would be nice, wouldn't it? To be lost in the void of space? To disappear and never come back?...To start completely new…."_

_He couldn't deny that. He had dreamed of it many times. He had dreamed of taking his pod and disappearing into the never ending void that was the universe. He had dreamed that he would fly so far, and so fast that Frieza would never find him. But he knew it was only a fantasy. Freiza would always find him, no matter where he went. That's why he had never left. The lizard-like tyrant would go to the ends of the universe to track down and crush the prince in his palm, if only to prove that he had complete control of the last of the once proud Saiyan race._

"_To dream of something that cannot come true is foolish. All it will ever do is give you false hope."_

"_Very true…." Her eyes moved across the sky, skimming among the tiny planets from far away. Night had snuck in on them and stolen the sky away into black, interrupted only by a tiny sliver of moon and thousands of tiny stars. "Right there." She pointed to the sky, "That's Zentu."_

_He followed her finger to the spot that she was speaking of. A great blue star, larger than all the ones that surrounded it glimmered back at them. He couldn't help the small pang of guilt that erupted in his chest. He had destroyed everything she had ever held dear, had played a large part in making her just like him, a princess without a kingdom. He couldn't count how many times he had let his eyes wander to the stars, only to find that the large, red sparkling dot that he was looking for was gone, blown into nothing but rubble. His people had been enslaved by Freiza, his planet destroyed by meteors, but he knew that had someone taken his home from him, he would never forgive them._

"_Why are you telling me this?" He questioned, confused. "I killed your people, destroyed your home, ended your father's life. Why are you not trying to kill me?"_

_Her gaze left the stars above their heads to look him directly in the eyes. "What do you mean Vegeta? I should thank you for killing those wretched, pathetic creatures."_

_His eyes widened at her, surprise evident in every contour of his features. What was wrong with this woman? Had the loss of her home made her completely mad?_

_Before he could ask, she laughed, obviously amused at his state of shock. "I guess I should explain…" Her smile softened and she rolled onto her side to look at him more fully. "My people where a weak, timid and fragile race, and I was not weak, timid, nor fragile….And they hated me for it. I've always loved to fight, and on a planet full of weaklings, those fights often ended in death. They came to fear me for my murderous habits, even named me The Blood-Lust Princess. Isn't that rich?"_

_Her smile faded from her face, and was replaced by blatant anger. "The night before you invaded, my father, who was just as fragile as the rest of my people, and who feared me just the same, ordered my murder." Vegeta could see her cheek begin to tick with the thought. "My most trusted advisers took my father's orders and poisoned me. It wasn't enough to kill me, but when you arrived in the morning I was significantly weakened. Nappa would not have defeated me otherwise." _

_His shock at her hatred for her people melted from his face. It made sense if he put all of the factors together: why she would be defeated by Nappa, only to humiliate him on the ship, and why she would so willingly fight along-side the men who had destroyed her home. She was a princess, dethroned by her own people._

_A comfortable silence settled between them. The deep quiet void filled with silent understanding of two tortured souls, whose only solace was in the abandon of violence. Her misty blue orbs came to rest on the finely etched contours of his face. There was a yearning, unlike any he had ever seen reflected deep in her endless eyes. It was as if she was pleading for him to understand, to see her as something besides the monster that she already knew herself to be. She must not have known that he already did._

_He nodded to her knowingly, reading the need for companionship that was so clearly etched in her delicious down-turned lips and her dropping, finely pointed chin. At his nod she smiled only slightly to him before rolling to her back and setting her eyes once again on the tiny sparkling planets of far away galaxies._

_Vegeta slowly lowered himself beside her, following her gaze up to the stars. He didn't take her tale of her past as anything more than it was: the need for a companion in the dismal world they inhabited. It wasn't a confession of love. In fact, even the thought of such a ridiculous notion made him want to laugh. He couldn't even begin to know what such an emotion was, and if he had to guess he would say that she hadn't the capacity for it either. This was simply an alliance, born out of the understanding of two warriors in a world that was as ruthless as they were. _

* * *

Vegeta entered his bedroom window, closing it silently, not wanting to wake the woman who was sleeping in their king bed that took up much of the space in the master bedroom. The comforter was pulled up past her chin, and the only proof that she was even laying there was her brilliant blue locks spilling over the pillow in a tangled mess of sleep. He eased into the bed beside her, and stared at her frame, still save the steady rhythm of her breathing, causing her ribcage to rise and fall. It only took him a moment of contemplation before he reached out to her and gathered her into his arms, pulling her body tightly against his own.

Vegeta still had no idea how he was going to apologize to her, but he began to gather the words in his mind, attempting to squelch the burn of his pride.

"You don't have to, Vegeta." Bulma's voice, raspy from sleep, bubbled up from under the blankets.

"Wha-" The sudden voice interrupting his thoughts startled him, leaving the prince in a rare moment of speechlessness.

"You don't have to apologize, Vegeta. I know that you're sorry…."

Indignance flushed his face and his whole body stiffened at her intuitive interpretation of his actions. "Why the hell would I apologize to you, woman? I have nothing to be sorry for!"

She rolled to face him, a slow smile spreading across her face as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I know, Vegeta. Can we just go to bed now?"

At the realization that she wasn't going to push the subject any further he relaxed and wound his arms around her slender frame, silently answering her question.

"I love you, Vegeta." She whispered into his chest, closing her eyes.

He answered her by wrapping his arms tighter around her, and she snuggled into his embrace. Once he was sure that she was asleep, he smiled to himself, contented. _I know…_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Babble: **_Hello everybody. First of all I apologize for this fic being slow...again...It is finals week this week and I have surgery next week and then it's christmas...so I swear I'll TRY to get this next chapter up faster than this one...I have it all planned, now I just need to write it. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and following this story. And thank you for reviewing (hint...hint...HINT!). anyway, if you have any questions or comments that you don't feel comfortable putting on the review board, feel free to message me. There's nothing I love more than reviews and messages letting me know that people are indeed reading my story. Anyway now to the terribly boring part: I do not own dragon ball z, nor any of it's characters. That privelage belongs to Akira Toryama. If I did, things would have turned out differently for my Veggie. ;D. Again, thank you all so much for reading! Chaoi!_

_~ Dillio ~_


End file.
